Fumes from routine maintenance prompted temporary relocation of A&E Department, says KPH CEO in dismissing claims by PNP

A chemical that was being used during routine preventative maintenance work at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) last Friday inadvertently ended up in the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), causing it to be temporarily relocated, the top administrator at the hospital has revealed.

The disclosure follows a statement by the People’s National Party (PNP) on Monday claiming that “noxious chemical fumes” forced the closure and emergency evacuation of the A&E Department and expressing “deep concern and outrage” at what it called the latest public health crisis at KPH.

However, Barry Graham, chief executive officer at KPH, explained that the routine maintenance conducted on the weekend involved preventative mould treatment in the intensive care unit and other operating theatres.

“Some of the chemicals got into the a/c vent and it ended up in the accident and emergency,” Graham disclosed.

He said it created some discomfort for employees and a decision was taken to relocate the A&E Department to another space that was not affected by the chemical and to allow it to dissipate.

“Let me make it clear, there is absolutely no credibility about the claim that we used noxious fumes. That is patently untrue,” Graham told The Gleaner on Monday.

“We did mould remediation treatment, which is something that we do routinely in the hospital and there is absolutely no way we could have used anything that would endanger the lives of our staff or our patients.”

PNP general secretary Dr Dayton Campbell said his information is that the A&E Department has been relocated to outpatient clinics; x-ray services have been moved to upper floors; and laboratory services redirected to the National Public Health Laboratory.

“This level of improvisation is unsustainable and emblematic of a system mismanaged with gross dereliction of the duty of care,” he charged.

Campbell, who is a medical doctor, said the country deserves full transparency and accountability on the latest development, which comes less than a month after a mould outbreak at the same facility.

He said Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton and the South East Regional Health Authority should immediately provide a detailed report on the air quality assessment conducted at KPH, including the results and recommendations made following the most recent incident.

According to him, the public should also be told whether the materials and chemicals used were properly certified and approved.

In addition, he said the public should be provided with information about the contractor responsible for the most recent work.

Campbell asserted that many staffers have already reported symptoms, without specifying the ailment, and are being advised to seek care externally.

The KPH chief executive officer admitted that some people with “delicate” respiratory issues were affected during the incident.

“We are not denying that. There are certain chemicals that if you have respiratory ailment it can exacerbate that. I am not going to tell you that some persons with delicate respiratory issues were not affected,” he said.

- Livern Barrett

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